Life In 19x19

Sloppy journalism by the Asahi Shinbun, whose headline is "Fujisawa becomes first woman to win coed go tourney"

The victory was fantastic news, very welcome to me, but let's not forget Rui Naiwei beating a real giant of the go world, Cho Hun-hyeon, in an event also not restricted by age, the 2000 Kuksu.

Or if it comes to that, the Old Lady of Black-horse Mountain who supposedly beat the Meijin Liu Zhongfu, who has been mentioned in other threads here recently.

Still, I may make Rina's achievement the reason for my annual tot of whisky (outside Hogmanay) tonight. There's not been much else to celebrate this year and it's soon drawing to a close. If others care to join me, shall we say 10pm GMT (23 November)? My own tipple is Dalwhinnie's Winter's Gold, which is made in Scotland's highest and coldest distillery and is also nicknamed the "Gentle Spirit." I think that is sufficiently redolent of Rina and her scaling of an immense peak.

Slàinte mhath!

I thought it might be worth adding Rina's career stats. These will also provide a benchmark for Sumire's progress. (And I'd like to add a shout-out for Ueno Asami, who is helping to push Rina forward as a well-matched rival who has also put up impressive results against men.)

(Year: wins-losses = %)

2010: 6-7 = 46.2%
2011: 8-15 = 34.8%
2012: 13-13 = 50.0%
2013: 23-13 = 63.9%
2014: 40-14 = 74.1%
2015: 28-23 = 54.9%
2016: 35-19 = 64.8%
2017: 40-23 = 63.5%
2018: 43-23 = 65.2%
2019: 38-28 = 57.6%
2020: 26-10 = 72.2%
Total 300-188 = 61.5&

She is still just 4-dan (subject to whatever else she may get for winning the Young Carps), but has a long string of titles (Title wins: 33rd Women's Honinbo (2014), 1st Aidu Chuo (2014), 35th Women's Honinbo (2016), 2nd Ibero-Japan (2016), 29th Women's Meijin (2017), 4th Aidu Chuo (2017), 2nd Senko (2017), 30th Women's Meijin (2018), 5th Aidu Chuo (2018), 37th Women's Honinbo (2018), 31st Women's Meijin (2019), 6th Aidu Chuo (2019), 4th Senko (2019), 7th Aidu Chuo (2020), 1st Hakata Kamachi (2020), 15th Young Carps (2020). Total: 16.)

At the time of formally starting as a pro, 1 April 2010, she became the youngest ever pro in Japan, at 11 years 6 months (ahead of Cho Chikun at 11 years 9 months, and ahead of Xie Yimin - 14 years 4 months - for female pros), although her qualification was via the girls' section. At age 15 years 9 months, she became the youngest ever winner of a female title in Japan when she won the 1st Aidu Chuo Hospital Cup in 2014. She became youngest Women's Honinbo (16 years 1 month) in 2014-11.

Her pedigree is impeccable. She is a pupil of the Korean Hong Mal-keun Saem, but also daughter of Fujisawa Kazunari (currently Japan's most successful pro teacher), granddaughter of Fujisawa Hideyuki and great-granddaughter of Fujisawa Jugoro, and relative of course of Fujisawa Hosai.

And talking of pedigrees, we might mention that this year's new pro Cho Kosumi has a similar pedigree going back to great-granddaddy Kitani Minoru. And just recently, as it happens, we have also re-discovered lost war-time games by Kitani (two), and Fujisawa Hosai and Iwamoto Kaoru. (Normally that would have been enough to merit my dram of whisky!)

John Fairbairn wrote:Sloppy journalism by the Asahi Shinbun, whose headline is "Fujisawa becomes first woman to win coed go tourney"

The very same name came to my mind. I suspect it's not sloppy, it's self-centered. Rui Naiwei wasn't allowed to play professionaly in Japan, if I have it right.

My own tipple is Dalwhinnie's Winter's Gold,

I haven't met that specific flavour, but judging by the brand, you have good taste, sir. Question: does it keep? Because the best I've ever tasted is Glenlivet's archive, and you could feel / taste the details evaporate. No, I didn't drink that much.

Take care.

PS: You added some extras to the thread while I was typing. I just also asked somewhere else about Cho Kosumi, so I'm glad to know something more.

Were they Fujisawa and Ueno, the two young female top players / rivals who were also quite good friends IRL?

And, since we're going about it, you mentioned some time ago about young pros deciphering a couple of old puzzles. Do you have more on that?

Thank you.

The very same name came to my mind. I suspect it's not sloppy, it's self-centered.

It's sloppy, I assure you. I'm a professional journalist. We (and, I imagine, very many other countries) have scornful jokes about our colleagues who write headlines such as "local man dies" about a plane crash that kills 1,000 people.

And, unless things have changed since when I knew about the inside scene in Japanese journalism, there is a good chance the Asahi writer was not even a proper journalist but an American backpacker or some such who at least has the good taste not to find a job in MacDonalds instead.

Do you have more on that?

I have more on everything but I spend too much time on L19 as it is, to the extent that I begin to wonder if I'm developing a taste for necrophilia

I know little about whisky, I'm afraid, but I can confirm that the Winter's Gold single malt not only keeps but improves with age. My bottle has lasted for years and is still a quarter full. I think it's the best I've tasted, though I'm partial to the peaty whiskies such as Laphraoig. I did once have a journalistic assignment to tour several distilleries, but to be honest it was rather wasted on me. But if you enjoy a good night's comedy as you sip your malt, I can highly recommend a very funny Ken Loach film, Angels' Share. This is one where the cheaters prosper - but the tricky question is: who are the cheaters?

John Fairbairn wrote: Still, I may make Rina's achievement the reason for my annual tot of whisky (outside Hogmanay) tonight. There's not been much else to celebrate this year and it's soon drawing to a close. If others care to join me, shall we say 10pm GMT (23 November)? My own tipple is Dalwhinnie's Winter's Gold, which is made in Scotland's highest and coldest distillery and is also nicknamed the "Gentle Spirit." I think that is sufficiently redolent of Rina and her scaling of an immense peak.

Slàinte mhath!

I usually only drink whisky on rare occasions, like after a big Christmas dinner with friends or family, but there's not much chance of that now, what with the pandemic and all. Might as well have a glass tonight then!

I will make mine a Japanese whisky, a Yamazaki Single Malt 10y, in honour of Rina's country of origin.

Proost!

John Fairbairn wrote:I have more on everything but I spend too much time on L19 as it is, to the extent that I begin to wonder if I'm developing a taste for necrophilia

Hey, if it rocks your boat... [what, not saintly innocent smiley?]

...I'm partial to the peaty whiskies such as Laphraoig.[...]

Lagavulin drinker here. Peaty, to say the least.

But if you enjoy a good night's comedy as you sip your malt, I can highly recommend a very funny Ken Loach film, Angels' Share. This is one where the cheaters prosper - but the tricky question is: who are the cheaters?

Well, the Angels themselves, of course. They slip in and steal half the casket!

Take care.

John Fairbairn wrote:But if you enjoy a good night's comedy as you sip your malt, I can highly recommend a very funny Ken Loach film, Angels' Share.

Very much recommended! Although without subtitles I would have been completely lost.

I'd love to love whisky, too, but I have yet to develop the taste buds for it. The closest I get is drinking Baileys. Yes, I will show myself out.

The closest I get is drinking Baileys. Yes, I will show myself out.

No. Welcome to the connoisseurs' club!

For those who enjoy their whisky as much as Rabbie Burns did:

O Willie brew'd a peck o' maut,
And Rob and Allen cam to see;
Three blyther hearts, that lee-lang night,
Ye wadna found in Christendie.

We are na fou, we're nae that fou,
But just a drappie in our ee;
The cock may craw, the day may daw
And aye we'll taste the barley bree.

Here are we met, three merry boys,
Three merry boys I trow are we;
And mony a night we've merry been,
And mony mae we hope to be!

It is the moon, I ken her horn,
That's blinkin' in the lift sae hie;
She shines sae bright to wyle us hame,
But, by my sooth, she'll wait a wee!

Wha first shall rise to gang awa,
A cuckold, coward loun is he!
Wha first beside his chair shall fa',
He is the King amang us three.

We are na fou, we're nae that fou,
But just a drappie in our ee;
The cock may craw, the day may daw
And aye we'll taste the barley bree.

(Fou is 'full' = drunk)

Has a great tune - you can Youtube it, I imagine. It's a grand excuse to have another wee drappie - you're na that fou - after you've toasted Rina.

HermanHiddema wrote:

John Fairbairn wrote: If others care to join me, shall we say 10pm GMT (23 November)? My own tipple is Dalwhinnie's Winter's Gold, which is made in Scotland's highest and coldest distillery and is also nicknamed the "Gentle Spirit." I think that is sufficiently redolent of Rina and her scaling of an immense peak.

Slàinte mhath!

Might as well have a glass tonight then!

I will make mine a Japanese whisky, a Yamazaki Single Malt 10y, in honour of Rina's country of origin.

Proost!

Nice idea. I join with a Port Askaig 14y.
Prost.

The countdown to 10 pm GMT is starting in my household. The whisky has been poured and sniffed, and an extra finger poured because of what is happening elsewhere here. Our Oxford University team that has come up with a cheap vaccine is run by women.

So on the stroke of 10 I give you my favourite toast of every Burns Night: To the lassies!

To the lassies!

from now to Christmas, 3d review in snippets. Take care.

from now to Christmas, 3d review in snippets.

A propos that video, I don't get the affectation for using a Chinese name (Sun Zhe) for Son Makoto.

He was born in Japan (Yokohama). He is registered with the Nihon Ki-in as Son Makoto. He uses the twitter account Twi_mako. Son is an old and well established surname in Japan, though no doubt of Chinese origin. It is true that the character 喆 is disconcerting for many Japanese, but they get round that by writing out his name as ﾏｺt (Makoto), and names often used weird characters so there is nothing novel in that. In any case, because it's weird, his parents must have chosen the spelling Makoto.

Is there some back story I have missed?

And even if there is an overriding Chinese link somewhere in his history, most other players with such histories, and we, are happy to use the Japanese readings (Go Seigen, Rin Kaiho, O Rissei, O Mein, Kyo Kagen. A couple get shirty about it. Chin Kaei is one. He was born in China and likes to be known by his Chinese name, but the problem there is that he uses two: Mandarin Chen Jiarui, Cantonese Chan Ka Yui, and on his business card he writes his surname as Chien. Son Makoto, however, is clearly not getting shirty.

His Nihon Ki-in profile says "Sun Zhe":

http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/htm/ki000439.htm